Earlier this week (Monday 9 October), it was with great sadness that we shared the tragic news of a 4-year-old little girl who lost her precious life in an accident in Bukit Batok Central.
Bukit batok central accident update
Now, more details have emerged about what happened that fateful day.
Little Eleanor just wanted steamed eggs for dinner…
On the day of the accident, mummy Jacelyn Wong told Shin Min Daily News that her little girl Eleanor Tan wanted steamed eggs – her favourite meal – for dinner.
Because Jacelyn wanted to make this meal herself for her girl, that evening, she sent her domestic helper to pick up four-year-old Eleanor from preschool instead of going herself.
Ms Wong explains that while cooking, she felt something was not right. Then, around 8pm, she got a call from the hospital.
The mummy of two told Shin Min Daily News: “When I got the call, I thought my daughter was only injured. It was only after my husband and I reached the hospital that we found out she was dead. I thought, ‘This can’t be real, I must be dreaming.’
“If only I had waited for her to come home to cook it, she loves beating the eggs for me.”
The fatal accident
Jacelyn’s little girl died that night in a terrible accident near Bukit Batok West Avenue 2. A 37-year-old woman with her, believed to be the helper, was with her at the time.
They were both rushed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital – the woman was conscious but severely injured, and the little girl was unconscious. Eleanor was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Bukit Batok Central accident update: Where the accident happened. Those in the area say people often cross this busy road here, despite an overhead bridge being located not too far away. Image: SCREENGRAB/THE STRAITS TIMES
Those who tried to help
Dr Stanley Peck, 48, is a general practitioner at the nearby Lighthouse Clinic and Surgery. On the day of the accident, he was with a patient when people rushed into his clinic begging for help.
Dr Peck told The New Paper,”After excusing myself from my patient, I grabbed my emergency kit and oxygen mask and ran towards the scene with two of my nurses.”
He said: “I performed (chest) compressions on the little girl as there was no pulse… We put up an intravenous line to administer medicine and attended to her for 10 to 15 minutes before the ambulance came to take over.”
Low Ko Chin is a barber who works at the nearby O.leh Bro Barber. He too saw the crash and rushed over to help, where he reportedly saw the victims in a pool of blood. Little Eleanor was being attended to at this point.
Since he had first-aid training, he assisted the helper. “Her face was covered in blood, and she was bleeding non-stop, so I tried to stop the bleeding with a bandage. I kept talking to her to keep her awake because I knew that if she closed her eyes, that would be the end,” he said.
Mr Low also said that despite there being an overhead bridge a few metres away from where the accident happened, people often don’t use it to cross the busy road, which is generally accepted to be accident prone by people in the area.
A mother’s message
She must be heartbroken (we can’t imagine just how much). But Ms Wong still gracefully thanked everyone who reached out to her family.
She posted on Facebook yesterday, “Dear friends and families, due to a traffic accident, our precious daughter Eleanor Si Xuan had left us.
“She will always be in our hearts. I sincerely thank each and everyone of you who [sic] dote on our precious angel. Thank you.”
The little girl’s wake was held at an HDB flat on Bukit Batok Street 31, and she was to be cremated today (October 11).
We at theAsianparent share Eleanor’s family’s grief, and we are sure our readers do too. Here’s wishing you the strength to get through this difficult time.
References: The Straits Times, The New Paper.
Featured Image: Jacelyn Wong/Facebook; The New Paper Screengrab.